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Outdoors Dan: How should we treat chronic wasting disease?

What are your thoughts on the special deer hunt up north? The Department of Natural Resources issued 300 permits to check for chronic wasting disease in deer. A lot of people I talked to don’t agree with the DNR on this subject. Do you think we should just let nature takes its course or just keep killing all the deer?

When it comes to the chronic wasting disease issue here in Iowa, there are a lot of opinions. CWD is not curable, and scientists are still trying to figure out more about the prions involved and how the disease is transmitted.

Biologists say that nose-to-nose transmission is the most accepted theory. I am not a biologist, so I will trust what the DNR is doing by having control hunts in areas that have infected deer to help stop the spread.

The DNR had a public meeting and over 350 people supported this special hunt to collect samples. There are other ways to help stop the spread. One solution is to give the DNR samples as much as possible during the regular deer season. Also, report any deer that looks sick or in distress to the DNR so they can see if it’s an CWD issue.

Areas that have captive wildlife facilities require double fencing for its deer and elk. Requiring double fencing in these areas will help keep native deer from interacting with captive deer. Helping with any of these would cut down the spread of CWD in our native deer.

What release would you recommend for first-time hunters this turkey season? I’m on a budget, so be nice.

I would look at the new “Echo” release from Scott Archery. This is a really nice release that removes any side-to-side torque that may come from a new shooter not having the best form. The “Echo” has a nice trigger, and I think it will work well for you.

Someone told me wild turkeys can sniff out humans pretty well. What do you think?

I think someone is having some fun with you. If a wild turkey could smell us hunters, we would never get one. Wild turkeys have a very poor sense of smell, thank the good Lord! They have excellent vision and hearing. If you can conquer those senses, winner winner turkey dinner!